A Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) graduate in the Philippines discovered that being a dairy farmer in New Zealand is her calling. Jennifer Abobo found herself in an unexpected career, quite far from the degree she earned. She, however, said no regrets because she is very happy being a dairy farmer.
New Zealand is literally the land of milk and honey as there are so many cows for milking as there are people there. Dairy farming is one of the country’s most important industries and their biggest export.
Dubbed as the “Paradise of the Pacific,” New Zealand is the home of many immigrants who were searching for greener pastures. Among those immigrants who loved the beautiful paradise of New Zealand is a Filipina named Jennifer.
“Sino ba naman yung ayaw magkaroon ng magandang future? And when it comes to New Zealand, sa isip-isip natin green na green, walang mga masasamang tao, walang polusyon. And napatunayan naman namin na totoo talaga iyon,” Jennifer shared with Summit OG via Pep.
Applied to over 700 employers before she got accepted
Jennifer recalled how desperate and hopeless she felt while looking for a job in the Philippines. She said, “Noong nasa Pilipinas pa ako, parang wala talaga akong patutunguhan. Kumbaga, hindi ko alam ang aking gustong tahakin sa future.”
Before she landed her job as a dairy farmer in New Zealand, Jennifer recalled how she had to apply to over 700 employers. She arrived in New Zealand in 2015 with her fiancè. Despite applying to hundreds of employers, Jennifer was lucky she got employed by her fiancè’s boss.
Choosing a different career path from her college degree
According to Jennifer, she realized that dairy farming was really meant for her when she started working in New Zealand. While she graduated with a degree in HRM and had no farming skills, her job gave her fulfillment and happiness.
“Blessed talaga kami. Wala po talaga akong kumbaga experience sa farming,” Jennifer said.
“Noong nagpunta ako dito sa New Zealand, parang ito na talaga yung linya for me,” she added.
Being a dairy farmer in New Zealand
Jennifer admitted that she enjoyed the peaceful 290-hectare farm she works in. It is a highly physical job as they need to handle cows for milking and operate machineries. One of the challenges she had to get used to was the longer working hours.
The Filipina worker said, “Nagigising kami during busy months ng 3:00 a. m. ‘Tapos [around] 14 to 16 hours yung trabaho namin a day.”
Jennifer revealed that beginners in the farming industry usually receive P80,000 to P100,000 a month, depending on their skill set and are.
The Filipina dairy farmer chronicles her experience through her YouTube channel. She hopes many Filipinos would be inspired to take a chance at career path different from what they actually have in mind.
